On September 28th of last year, police conducted a sting operation in which undercover cops observed Mason accepting $160 in order to purchase the contraband. Police seized the cash from his vehicle the next day, and booked him with felony charges of conspiracy to introduce contraband in the first and second degree and a misdemeanor charge of official misconduct. Mason was also fired from his position as deputy.

Boulder County Jail Commander Ron Kaundart said that while smuggling tobacco into jail was a common occurrence, this was the first time someone was busted for bringing pot edibles into the jail.

"Tobacco is legal, of course, but it's still contraband in the jail," he said. "A lot of times, it's used to barter for other stuff. And people try to smuggle in drugs, too. We've found meth, coke and regular marijuana. People will smuggle it in small amounts, and when we hear about it, we have our drug dog.”

Earlier this year, Mason made a plea deal with prosecutors to avoid the worst of the charges. The former deputy pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of official misconduct, but the two felony charges of conspiracy to introduce contraband were dropped. Mason was sentenced to eighteen months of probation, managing to avoid getting locked up in the very prison he was trying to smuggle contraband into.